How Many Fruits and Vegetables are on Your Plate?

Created in
Newsletter Library, Nutrition & Healthy Eating

The human body evolved to consume a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain a number of plant compounds that your body needs in order to operate correctly. If you don't consume enough of these plant compounds, your energy level will suffer along with your overall health.

Everyone knows that they should eat more fruit and vegetables in their diet, but most people don't do it. Why? Because of the easy availability of fast foods and snack foods, we have lost our taste for fruits and vegetables. It is not uncommon for many people to go for weeks without consuming a single serving of fresh vegetables. This is not good.

So what can you do? Many people want to eat healthfully, but are not sure what that actually means. We all know that we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, while cutting down on sweets and junk food. But how much of each food group should you be eating? One novel approach by the Department of Agriculture in the United States involves visually showing people what their plate should look like at each meal. Doing away with the food pyramid, this new concept has been named "MyPlate" and divides a visual representation of a plate into sections to show you how much of each food group you should be eating. One of the most important points to take away from the MyPlate visual icon is that you should be filling at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables each meal.

If you find it difficult to work in several servings of fruits and vegetables into your routine every day, you may find it helpful to supplement your diet with what is called a "greens" supplement, which is a highly concentrated powder of fruits, vegetables and antioxidants. Be sure to ask your chiropractor whether a greens product is right for you.